Code Name: Ghost (A Warrior's Challenge 1) (32 page)

“Come on, little one,” he said, swooping her
into the air. Two young boys dodged around his legs and tore across
the galley. “Who belongs to this one?” he said, loud enough to
punctuate the riot going on around them.

“Mine, mine, thanks, Commander,” a woman
with strawberry blonde hair said, marched toward them with Fox
tailing close behind.

Thane delivered the little girl into Fox’s
arms.

“Hey lil’ fox, why the tears?” his Master
Chief asked, cuddling his youngest.

“Daddy…” Then the waterworks started in
earnest.

“She didn’t have her nap today, she’s
cranky,” Kate, Fox’s wife, explained, taking her from him. “There’s
Marg, I’m going to go say hello.”

“This is nuts,” Tony said, curling in his
chair and scanning the chaos. “If this is wedded bliss, I’ll
pass.”

“The bliss is making the babies, Tinman.
It’s the sixty years after that tests a man’s mettle,” Fox said,
chuckling at Tony’s expression and taking a seat next to him.

A Christmas celebration at the base brought
out-and-out bedlam, far noisier than any battlefield. Paper candy
canes and colored baubles hung from the ceiling. Big plastic boughs
of deep green garland twined with strings of lights strung the
walls. The place was duly Christmas-ified.

“Who’s Santa?” Nathan asked, looking over
toward the line of kids waiting to sit on the velvet, red knee of
the SEAL who’d volunteered to wear the suit and thrown on a big
fluffy beard.

“It’s Neil Anderson from Team Three,” Red
answered, keeping an eye on his five grandchildren while Lydia
tried to corral them in the lineup. He pointed behind Thane,
stopping him from taking a step backwards and squashing a toddler
rushing by with a fistful of candy. “Finished your Christmas
shopping, Ghost?”

“Yeah, and you’re getting something
really
special this year,” he said, taking his seat. He’d
looked for the ugliest sweater he could find, but none came up to
snuff. If there was anyone to blame for turning his life into an
emotional roller coaster, it was Red.

Red grinned, knowing he wasn’t getting a tie
unless it squirted water in his eye, and the reason why. “Dinner’s
at six Christmas Eve.”

Their squad would get to enjoy Christmas at
home this year. That made everyone happy, except him. An image of
Kayla followed at lightning speed and settled uncomfortably in his
chest. She had been avoiding him as best she could, while he seemed
to be balancing on the head of a pin waiting to catch a glimpse of
her, his heart jumping every time he did.

“Where’s Kayla?” Mace asked, snagging a
chair from the next table. Nathan and Cobbs were close behind and
did the same.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Marg yelled out, holding
Kelsey’s hand as she joined the Santa lineup, and a gaggle of other
SEAL wives.

He waved back.

Red’s expression twisted with concern.
“Don’t know. She hasn’t been herself for the last week. She never
leaves the ops room, and she’s been quiet, unusually quiet,
actually.”

“I’ve noticed it, too,” Thane said, picking
up a stray candy cane on the table and fingering it. Last week
Kayla decorated the Command center during a night shift, but there
was nothing merry about her. She had even stopped baking. Wasn’t
Christmas when women went nuts with dough? Her warmth had
evaporated, obviously he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. The
squad had their annual Christmas drunk, and they wanted Kayla to
come, but her response was an abrupt no.

She’d even gotten into a pissing contest two
hours ago with Commander Masters, something she’d never done
before. Kayla had been right in her judgement, but she’d actually
goaded him. Masters took the bait, then was on the phone seconds
later railing at him to get his “bitch on a leash” which set
him
off. When he’d talked to her about Masters, she accepted
it with rigid silence. Kayla didn’t defend herself, as if she’d
done it on purpose wanting him to discipline her.

“What the hell are you guys doing here?”
Simpson from Team Seven said, appearing at the end of their
table.

Mace shrugged. “Cashing in on the candy cane
overdose, why?”

“Aren’t you going to Breakers? It’s standing
room only. You can’t even get in if you don’t get there early.”

Mace and the guys looked at him, but he had
no idea what Simpson was talking about either.

Reading their vacant expressions, Simpson
said, “You’re missing out, men. Snow White’s been singing there
every night for a week now. Shit, that woman can sing, but her
dresses and the way she shakes it—whoa! The line is out the door
and around the building.”

Thane’s anger puffed to life, and then
blasted through him like Napalm. “What?” he growled, rising to his
feet, getting the picture pretty damn fast. The thought of Kayla
singing in front of a hundred lusting men began eating its way
through his brain.

“Umm.” Simpson’s gaze jumped to Mace for
help.

Tony pushed his chair back. “Mace and I’ll
check it out, Commander.”

“Leave her alone,” Fox said sharply. “I
said—sit.” All eyes turned to his Master Chief, including his. “Are
y’all deaf?”

“What’s this about?” Red said, scowling at
Fox.

“I know that look,” Fox said roughly,
glaring at Thane. “You go into that bar, and you’re asking for a
shit storm, and it won’t be yours. Leave the woman be. She’s got
enough to deal with.”

“Enough of the bullshit, Fox. You pulled
this in the desert. If there’s something wrong with Kayla, I want
to know what it is. She bloody well yelled at
me
yesterday.”

“Me, too,” Mace piped up. “Fox, cough up
man, what’s going on with her?”

Fox nodded toward the line, getting the high
sign from Kate. “She has a past to deal with. You can’t help her,
none of us can. This is a bad time for her, leave her alone.”

Cobbs, always the mediator, looked between
them. “Maybe you should do what he says, Thane. If she needed our
help she’d ask.”

“No, she wouldn’t.” He turned his attention
back on Fox. “What she’s doing is reckless.”

His Master Chief stood up and squared him
with a harsh look. “Maybe in your eyes, but not for her, Commander.
She’ll get over it, and she’ll be back, don’t push her.”

A large crash came from the other end of the
Mess hall, followed by a loud shout of disapproval from a
distraught mother. “Secrets make us vulnerable, even Kayla’s.” He
looked to Red for support. “I pulled her file today. There’s
nothing that raises any red flags.”

Fox let out a deep breath. “We all have
secrets, Commander. Snow White has hers, and they’re so fucking
ugly you don’t want to know. Believe me. If you go digging, you’ll
make it worse.”

“Master Chief, we’re talking about Kayla
here,” Mace said worriedly, leaning over the table. “What could be
that bad?”

Fox bowed his head. “I know what I’m talking
about. Drop it, men. Let her come back on her own.”

Thane saw the seriousness in Fox’s eyes, and
his uncharacteristic anger made him pause. “Red, do you know what’s
going on?”

“I’ve had my suspicions for a while now. I
think Fox might be right,” Red said, giving him a level stare.

“What the fuck does that mean?” he
spouted.

It didn’t matter how many years passed, but
when Red turned on the expression he remembered from when he was
his lieutenant, and had had enough of his bullshit it still worked
on his conscience today. “It means—Kayla has always been
professional, polite and in control. You push her buttons, Ghost.
If you push the wrong one, you’ll regret it.”

Caleb joined them, his baby daughter tucked
in the crook of his arm. “Hey, men.” He darted a glance at the
team. “Something—up?” he said, rocking his little bundle in a thick
white blanket.

“Caleb, talk some sense into this man,” Fox
said.

Caleb’s brows lifted not really getting the
gist of the conversation.

“Commander, I’m asking you to let Kayla be,”
Fox urged. “Why can’t you just give her space? What does it matter
to you, anyway?”

“Oh,” Caleb uttered, his brow
tightening.

What the hell did “oh” mean. “Caleb, Kayla
hasn’t been herself. She’s hiding from all of us. There is
something wrong. We don’t keep secrets, although my Master Chief
here thinks otherwise. If there’s something I need to know, spill
it.”

Caleb and Fox exchanged a glance. “Sir, we
know each other pretty well. More importantly, Fox and I understand
you.” Fox gave Caleb a wary stare. “But the truth is you don’t know
Kayla. I think—this one time you need to back off.”

He glared at his men like they’d all lost
their minds. “My Kayla is singing in front of a bunch of men who’d
love to have a piece of her. That’s not happening.”

“Ghost,” Red barked at him.

“What?” stopping only because it was
Red.

“Son, she’s not yours.”

Had he said that? Out loud?

“You said, ‘My Kayla’. She’s not yours,
Ghost.” Red stepped in front of him. “You didn’t want her here,
remember? She’s your subordinate, nothing else.”

“She’s part of our team,” he argued, and the
words surprised even him, but it was the truth.

“You don’t have a right to dig into her
private life unless it’s impacting her performance at work. If
nothing else, she works harder than anyone in the center.” He
pointed at Fox and Caleb. “I’m trusting you on this, Fox, Stitch.
You better be guessing right on this one. Kayla has earned my
admiration in the short time she’s been here. And you—Ghost—keep in
mind that I am as concerned about her as I would be a daughter.”
One white brow shot upwards. “You’ve been so goddamn focused on not
falling in love with her, you’ve missed the fact that we’re all she
has. Don’t fuck that up.”

He almost staggered backwards with Red’s
words. Searching every face at the table, he saw the team staring
back and no one was arguing. “She’s part of this team and there’s
something wrong,” he said harshly. “I’m going to find out what it
is.”

“Oh, Christ,” Cobbs muttered, and followed
close on his heels.

* * * *

Just like Simpson said, the line ran down
the outside wall of the bar, three men thick. Music blasted from
the interior.

“Guys, you’re going to have to wait,” the
bouncer said, stepping in front of them and holding up his
hand.

“Fuck off, get out of my way,” he stormed,
pushing through the men in the line.

The bouncer took one more step and then
backed off. “Commander—”

“Get the fuck out of my way.”

Battering his way through with Cobbs, Tony,
Nathan and Mace behind him, he stopped once he’d gotten close
enough to see the stage.

“Okay,” the lead singer from the band said,
“I know you love us, but you’ve been waiting for her…so here’s Snow
White.”

The fucking place went nuts when Kayla
appeared on the stage. The crowd surged as one body toward her.
White lights swirled around her then stilled, leaving one brilliant
light directly above her. She literally sparkled, her beauty
radiating from her like a siren calling to the men in the
audience.

Adjusting the ear mic, she waited until the
crowd quieted. “This song has just come out, and I think you’ll be
hearing a lot of it, but when I heard the words I knew it should be
your theme song, and probably mine, too.
What Doesn’t Kill You
Makes You Stronger.
”

Kayla wore a pure white mini with beaded
tassels dripping from her body and five-inch fuck-me heels. White
cuffs circled her wrists with more tassels and her breasts popped
from the body-hugging dress. Any man in his right mind would want
to follow the arc and shallows of the woman’s legs with an open
palm. If his temper was a rocket launcher it would have sent his
ass to the moon. Jesus Christ! What the fuck was she doing?

“Commander, maybe you should cool off before
you talk to her,” Cobbs yelled in his ear over the song.

He didn’t comprehend anything except he
wanted her off that stage. The woman he loved—whoa not love, cared
about—a lot—was in front of a couple hundred hungry sailors. He
pushed closer while Cobbs tried to hold him back. The second the
last note was out of her mouth, he grabbed her around the hips and
tore her from the stage. Applause roared in the room and it covered
her gasp.

“Rank has its privileges,” the lead singer
said, giving the band a sign and they exploded into another
song.

“Commander!” Kayla barked, pushing with both
hands on his chest to get away. He slung her over his shoulder and
headed straight for the door, the crowd opening up for him.

Once outside, he dropped her to her feet.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he shouted before she
found her balance. He wasn’t seeing red, his anger seared white hot
in every one of his nerve endings.

She took a step back, rage burning in her
eyes. “You have no right!”

Crossing his arms across his chest tightly,
he leaned over her. “I have every goddamn right. You represent the
United States Navy, my office, and you’re dressed like a fucking
harlot.”

Her arms jumped from her sides. “Would you
prefer a maxi and a turtleneck, you hypocrite?” she yelled,
standing her ground.

“Okay, this is getting out of control,” Mace
said, trying to step between them.

With a sweep of his arm, he held Mace back.
Frustration opened the doors wide to jealousy. He wanted her, but
couldn’t have her. Soon, someone would take her from him. “It’s no
bloody wonder no one’s married you if you want to act like a
harlot.” Anger fired the wrong words from his mouth. The worst
words. “Do you take private appointments after swinging your tail
on stage?”

Her hand shot out, slapping his face.

“How dare you judge me.” She choked on her
words, realizing it wasn’t only the team staring but the entire
line. “How dare you embarrass me like this.” Raw emotion strangled
her voice.